AndyM wrote:Ideologically, yes, but it's as likely as Mansfield Town winning the Champions League.

I will be watching the England team with the usual mixed emotions.

I would love Spain to win, but fear it might be too much to ask.

Gary, yes, Holland a good bet.

And ABG, naturlich.

Yes, I agree (a) 'watching England with mixed emotions' sums up succinctly their supporters permanent state. and (b) I think Vincente del Bosque is the key man (as manager) to whether Spain can do the historic achievment of retaining the European Championship - he has to get some tired and some out of form players fit & focused.

I think Greece could proceed from their Group - the day before their next election!

It seems odd but I find I'm missing Charlie as much, if not more, in the context of the football as of the music. I was always aware of his athletic prowess but was late to learn of his enthusiasm and knowledge of the game, as posted here.

Ah....who am I kidding? It's saturday night and I need to hear him on the radio.

Last night showed England at their best and - for those few awful minutes at the start of the second half - their worst. But they came back and let rip. Surely the best English team since the mid-90s? Serious flaws exist and some very dislikable characters - Messers Terry & Cole - but they actually seem hungry to win. And when was the last time that could be said of an England team?

Agreed, Will, Charlie missed as much as ever. With world music seemingly in severe decline I wonder if he would have broadened his playlist to music sung in English again? Or simply persevered on fewer CDs?

garth cartwright wrote:Agreed, Will, Charlie missed as much as ever. With world music seemingly in severe decline I wonder if he would have broadened his playlist to music sung in English again? Or simply persevered on fewer CDs?

I think perhaps he'd have spent more of his time in the worlds of film and print.

Portugal and Christian Ronaldo in particular rose to the occasion against a plucky but limited Czech side. At right-back Theodor Gebre Selassie (come home to Arsenal?) had a great game against Ronaldo but switched off for the vital few seconds for the goal. Michal Kadlec was admirable in defence too but up front Milan Baroš hardly got a sniff of the ball. Howard Webb had an excellent game, got all the key decisions right and put in a strong bid for refereeing the final should England be unaccountably absent. The semi-finalists look like being Portugal (a safe prediction now), Germany (having humbled the stoical Greeks), Spain and A.N. Other (probably Italy). The Germans will edge out Spain in the final but Mr. Webb plays a blinder for England.

After Andrea Pirlo's magisterial performance against an England team which ran out of steam and luck, the German manager Joachim Löw has a nice tactical decision to make. Does he allow Pirlo time and space to do damage as England did or does he sacrifice a player (Sami Khedira?) to do a man-to-man marking job on Pirlo and cut off the main source of supply for the profligate Italian forwards? Then it could be the end of the Pirlo show. Alternatively, Löw could back his own attacking players to do the job and not worry about the opposition. Germany should have too much fire-power up-front for a non-vintage Italian side.

Philellinas wrote:German manager Joachim Löw has a nice tactical decision to make. Does he allow Pirlo time and space to do damage as England did or does he sacrifice a player (Sami Khedira?) to do a man-to-man marking job on Pirlo and cut off the main source of supply for the profligate Italian forwards.

Park Ji-sung marked Pirlo very effectively when United beat Milan 3-2 and 4-0 in the Champions' League 2 years ago.